I am of two minds about the Wikileaks excitement this past week.  On the one hand I am concerned about the damage to the US the release might cause.  On the other, I remember the honored examples of the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, and other whistleblowers, and the duty in a free society that the press -- and any other concerned parties -- has to make sure the government operates with transparency.

However, regardless of whichever way I end up navigating between these two opinions, I am unarguably opposed to the outright acts of censorship the US government is imposing on the information and Wikileaks itself.  As you may or may not have heard, US pressure has forced the site off of at least one host so far, and has also forced its DNS to remove the entry for Wikileaks, to keep readers from getting there.  (I suppose I should note that such reactions only encourage me to embrace the second of my two positions, as they only undermine any moral high ground the US government might try to claim...)

Fortunately, this is the Internet, and we have ways of thwarting two-bit bullies when they attempt such strong-arm tactics.  There has been a massive backlash against the US-backed censorship.  Like other groups before it, the US government is discovering that trying to quash something it doesn't like only results in thousands of copies of it popping up in more places than it can throw its weight around in.  Of particular interest is a suggestion (that many are following) that folks around the world add a subdomain to their sites that points to Wikileaks. 

There is also a Twitter tag for people interested this and other censorship circumvention methods.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

This thread over on the SJGames forums appears to be turning into a list of steampunk-flavoured Youtube videos.

--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Closed the account today.
Nearly 100,000,000 influence given away.
The very little free time I have is being spend on some new comics and a major project that should be going online soon.
Shayne

Hard to say I am leaving when I haven't really been on in months and month.
So I closed my account today - logged on briefly to hand off nearly 100,000,000 influence from Bella; most going to the Wiregeek fund for new heroes.
My free time is very limited right now, and I am spending it on multiple comic projects.  Watch this space for an announcement soon.
Shayne

Continuing the theme of space-related news, the USAF Spaceplane reported to have launched several months ago has returned successfully to Earth via an automated descent to a soft runway landing (the second in history; the first was by the Buran prototype.)
All that they're saying, so far, is that 'all mission objectives were completed'. 
Boeing has been commissioned to build a second unit, to be launched next spring.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

I just discovered the existence of an official manga spin off of Haruhi, set in the Disappearance universe.  The first sixteen chapters have been scanalated, and are up on Mangafox (link). It's really great.   Why have I not heard about this before now?  When I say its set in the Disappearance universe, I mean, this is what that world would have been like if mainline-Kyon hadn't basically overwritten that universe's Kyon (sort of).
I think this really shows that, despite all of the various fantastic powers and weird events that people seem to focus on, Haruhi is a character driven series.
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.

Not sure if it goes here or in the Legendary area...
Anyway... Real World Hero is a charity donation drive created by City of Heroes players. Come bid on the neat stuff.
And
by neat stuff I mean things like Ghost Widow's signature, Comics,
MASSIVE Star Wars Posters, Costume Codes, Bags of Holding, signed copies
of CoH complete collection, and other assorted goodies.
I anyone beats me in the auction for something that I want, there will be blood. (joking ) Its all for a good cause.
Shader.

http://gizmodo.com/5704158/nasa-finds-new-life

Nasa announces the discovery of Arsenic based life. Essentially, Alien life here on Planet Earth.... it's completely different to anything else.

Finding Aliens on Earth, how common are they out in the wide blue yonder?
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

Quote:A robot met its end near Coors Field
tonight when the Denver Police Department Bomb Squad detonated the
"suspicious object," bringing to an end the hours-long standoff between
police and the approximately eight-inch tall figurine.

The newest Order of the Stick comic is up, and it features the greatest villainous plan ever:
www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0763.html
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV